Philadelphia 76ers' Michael Carter-Williams goes up for the shot during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Nibbling at a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Michael Carter-Williams was killing time before a game last week by scrolling through a bevy of text messages. Somewhere in that stream of correspondences, he said, was an itinerary for All-Star Weekend.

Unlike his teammates, Carter-Williams will not have a half-week break. The 22-year-old will spend his weekend in New Orleans, first taking part in Friday’s Rising Stars Challenge, then Saturday’s Skills Competition.

He’s the first Sixers player to participate in the Rising Stars Challenge — a showcase game composed of first- and second-year players — since Evan Turner did so in 2012. A night later, Carter-Williams will team with Orlando rookie Victor Oladipo in a new-format Skills Challenge that incorporates a speed element into passing, dribbling and shooting competitions.

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“It’s a big honor. I’m thankful for it,” Carter-Williams said. “I’m glad I get to represent the city of Philadelphia and my teammates and coaches. It means a lot to go, and I’m excited.”

With the opportunity to head to New Orleans for the weekend, in a pair of nationally televised events attended by the league’s finest players, Carter-Williams acknowledges he’s become somewhat of a household name.

He leads all rookies with averages of 17.1 points, 6.4 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals, heading into Wednesday’s game at Utah. Assuming those numbers hold up, Carter-Williams will be the fourth player in league history to lead rookies in those four statistical categories — joining Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and Steve Francis.

That’s not bad company.

Heap on top of that his two Rookie of the Month honors, and that he’s considered the heavy favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award, and it’s clear that Carter-Williams has performed pretty well for a guy passed over 10 times on draft night.

“I never thought it would happen this quickly,” said Carter-Williams, the 11th overall pick last June. “I always dreamed of it happening, so I’m glad it’s here. I just have to take advantage of it.”

While Carter-Williams undoubtedly will soak in every opportunity afforded him through his participation in All-Star weekend, some downtime might actually have done him a bit of good. He’s shown wear in recent games. His assist-to-turnover ratio this month is nearly 1-to-1, with Carter-Williams totaling 25 assists to 26 turnovers through five games. Likewise, his shooting percentages have taken a hit. He’s shooting 58-for-169 over his last 11 games. That equates to a .343 shooting percentage, down significantly from his .395 season percentage.

When Carter-Williams last month was selected for the Rising Stars Challenge, Sixers coach Brett Brown said he wished his young point guard would seek out rest in the Big Easy. Brown referred to All-Star weekend as “a circus.”